Videos show crash, rescues of plane pilots, passengers
The Coast Guard released videos of the rescues of the pilot and passengers of two small aircraft that crashed in separate incidents in the ocean off Hawaii Sunday as the Federal Aviation Administration began investigating the ocean landings.
In one incident, a single-engine Cirrus SR-22, flying from Tracy, Calif., to Kahului, ditched in the water 253 miles northeast of Maui after the pilot, Louis Morton, reported fuel problems.
The Coast Guard video The Veendam was scheduled to dock in Lahiana at 10 a.m. Monday. At about 6:30 p.m., another plane, a Cessna 172, flying from Kekaha, Kauai to Kapolei ditched in the ocean off Barbers Point with four people on board. The Cessna 172 is owned by Barbers Point Flight School in Kapolei, according to FAA records. Stay in touch with top news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!Don't miss out on what's happening!
The Cessna was flying from Kekaha to Kapolei when it ditched after apparently running out of fuel.
A Coast Guard helicopter rescued all four people on board.
Emergency Medical Services reported that paramedics took a one-year-old girl, 22-year-old woman, 24-year-old man and 37-year-old man to the hospital at 7:50 p.m. in stable condition.
The plane that ditched off Maui is owned by Cirrus Design Corp. based in Duluth, Minn., according to FAA records.
Ben Kowalski, vice president of marketing at Cirrus Aircraft, said the aircraft was just manufactured and was being delivered to Australia.
Kowalski said over the past 15 years the Cirrus air frame parachute has been deployed 51 times saving 104 lives.
He said that it is Cirrus’ "fundamental philosophy" that every aircraft is equipped with the parachute system that deploys from back of the aircraft and is capable of carrying 3,600 pounds.
He said the Minnesota company has built 6,000 planes which are sold to clients throughout the world.
Kowalski said he was still gathering information on the pilot’s background and didn’t know if the company plans to try to salvage the downed aircraft.